The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[colburg]

Quote: Yes

 

[ChickChickChicky]

The obsession with zombies in this age is sickening to me and preparations for such an ~even when joking~event is an insult to the intelligence of anybody WITH a brain.

I know this is meant as a fun thing and I'm all about fun...but I draw the line at ridiculously idiotic. I like my participation in BYC to be about learning with a little light socializing but I seriously don't think I would stick around at all if I had to listen to teenage dribble about zombies. They've become a part of our pop culture in recent years but I strongly feel that there is a definite evil agenda behind getting the populace so complacent with the idea of the undead murdering and eating the brains of people~or ANYONE murdering and eating another human being. Not a funny thing, not a joke and the many incidents of real life attempts to eat another human in a crazed and "zombie-like" state were in the news this past year. I'm thinking that the old fella that got his face removed in the most brutal of manners would probably have another idea of what is fun or fictional when it comes to zombies.

Wake up, people! If you get nothing out of this thread at all, get the fact that I'm trying to get everyone to see past popular opinion and methods~even in life, if possible~and think for yourselves about what is real and right with your flocks. I can't dictate what folks think about in other parts of their life and I wouldn't want to do so...too big a job, that...but please learn some discernment as you pass through this life. I urge you all to look deeper, use your minds, dare to be different than everyone else and use your heads for something other than senseless knowledge. It's out there...all you have to do is look for it and have the nerve to go against the insipid flow of humanity, stand out and be strong enough to grasp your knowledge in full view of the public opinion.

Sorry. Rant over.

I'd prefer it if excessive mention of zombies not be a part of this good thread, if you don't mind. I appreciate the attempts to have fun...but fun about evil things is where I would like to draw the line. I'm not on board with this one.

I'm with ya 100% on the zombie thing... and sorry if this comment seems way late, but I am way behind in my reading on this thread.

 

[Sally8]

No

 

[Sally8]

I watered my chickens all summer from the creek. It's closer to the coop and we use a pump to pump it out for the chickens and the garden when it's dry. We also have 55 gal drums catching rain water. THEN, I learned I wasn't supposed to be using creek water because of all the impurities. The creek only starts a few miles up the road, just how many impurities can there be? I wouldn't be afraid to drink from it if I had to. But then, my husband ate dog treats to show the kids it wouldn't hurt them. Just sayin'

I also prefer not to be in discussion with zombies. I feel they are part of an evil world and I am NOT.

 

[Beekissed]

This leads me to a question...just how much water do chickens need. I know it varies between winter and summer and since mine have been on FF they seem to comsume less actual water. On the OT thread Al mentioned the heavy rubber water bowls and popping the ice out and refilling morning & I would guess late afternoon.. But say for some reason or other they didn't have water as a free drink situation and it had to be supplied at various times, how often & how much? Can they do the Twice a day watering schedual you mention? I guess what I really am getting at is do I HAVE to keep a waterer for them somewhere if they are out free ranging for a good portion of the day? Or will they learn to "tank up" before they go out and "refill" when they come back in?

I know with the FF they are needing much less...but what they actually need to drink, I cannot say. I used to do my winter water just like Al described...black rubber pan that got the ice dumped out of it each morning and water added. The chickens would drink immediately and then walk away. They always seemed thirsty when the water was renewed but not excessively, stand by the pan and drink forever thirsty. That was when I was feeding dry. That method worked well for years.

Now that I'm feeding FF I rarely, if ever, see a chicken drinking and the water level doesn't go down noticeably between changes.

In event of a prolonged disaster, our biggest fear would prob be food. I don't keep HUGE quantities on hand. We could eat some of the chickens, with hubby been in war, he sometimes asks me if I could eat the pets if I had too. (I told him if I got that hungry, he'd look pretty appetizing). I have chicken food in excess. We have a generator but needs to be wired to 220 to run water. our well is artizian We can run our whole house with it except for water. I can throw a ball to the creek behind. Because we ice fish, we have a hand auger to drill. The creek isn't 5 ft deep. We heat with wood, getting all our wood before fall. It's solid woods behind us. Hubby is a hunter as is all our neighbors. Actually, I'd say that our road with neighbors would help each other if needed. We don't live close to each other but are there to help and do. Beautiful Christian people.
Although we don't always act on it, because of Ron doing 2 tours in Vietnam, he discusses it (being prepare, not the war) A LOT. Good subject, Bee.

Well, it was mostly meant for prepping for animals in the winter when you have no electricity but it morphed. I'm not a "prepper" for changing world conditions at all and I have my reasons for that. Anyone interested can PM me or explore my one line piece of advice that works for all situations that may seem fearful to you~ "The best preparation for anything in life, is to prepare, first, to die." Dying, to most people, is the worst case scenario. If you are prepared for that, everything else is gravy.

I've learned over the years how to stretch that water.

This applies for inside the house also. When water is low and getting more seems uncertain~as in the electricity is off and the well pump is run by this source of power~we have learned to really scrounge. One can use large pans in which to wash dishes, use the rinse water to rinse the dishes, then use the same rinse water to wash your hair and body, then use that same water to flush a commode. Same with the original dish water...can be used in flushing or it can be used to water livestock~my grandma always gave her hogs and chickens dishwater and she washed dishes with lye soap. She said it kept them healthier~and she was right, the soap was killing intestinal parasites.

Pasta water can be reused for soup or even in making bread~you can make bread in an iron skillet on top of the stove if your oven is electric but the range is gas. Or if you have a wood stove~the possibilities are endless there.

Water is always the make it or break it when big disasters happen, water to drink and water to live by. When prepping for livestock, water is key and the feed can be stretched. Worst case scenario, you eat the livestock, using the offal and bloody water from your kill to feed and water the rest and keep doing that until the last one is gone. Dogs can live on food scraps you may have that have spoiled too much for you to eat, personally, then you can start eyeballin' the dog as a food source. He's easy to catch, has been well fed and they say dog isn't so bad if you know how to cook it~but if you are that hungry, you aren't going to care anyway. This is one reason I've always kept large dogs who are somewhat self-sufficient...they can each hunt for their own supper but they can each also BE supper.

That was not a joke. I'm dead dog serious here.

 

[Bulldogma]

Ran across this video... found some parts (flock communication & learning behaviors) rather fascinating. They do some experiments with battery hens to see how fast they learn and how fast they are able to revert back to a more natural state. Kinda cool.

 

[lalaland]

Your feminists? They will soon be shoved down on the ground, their heads in a sharp beak and their backs getting a good stomping. They won't be challenging him much after that....

well, you know what they say, Bee, that a feminist is any woman who isn't a doormat.

I don't know. I read this a few hours ago, and have had it on my mind since. It really bothers me. Maybe zombies bother you, but this....if you wrote it as "Your good christian women? They will soon be shoved down on the ground, their heads in a sharp beak, and their backs getting a good stomping...."

See what I mean?

Always hard when posts start getting into religion, politics, etc....but that sideways remark really bothered me. Goddess knows, I should be able to let it roll off my back

 

[lalaland]

I used to do my winter water just like Al described...black rubber pan that got the ice dumped out of it each morning and water added. The chickens would drink immediately and then walk away. They always seemed thirsty when the water was renewed but not excessively, stand by the pan and drink forever thirsty. That was when I was feeding dry. That method worked well for years.

Now that I'm feeding FF I rarely, if ever, see a chicken drinking and the water level doesn't go down noticeably between changes.

I've definitely noticed this lower water consumption,too - a marked difference.

 

[thedragonlady]

So, everyone is pretty satisfied with the measures they have in place for their flocks and other stock in the case of sudden and severe weather?

Been there, done that, on my farm in GA. for years. Took lots of baths with a few minnows from the lake water. Always had a couple of freezers full of food , and a stocked pantry. We had a small generator to run the freezers.Plenty of kerosene lanterns. We heated the house with a Grandpa Bear wood stove. We used to have ice storms that knocked out power for at least 2 weeks , as we were at the end of the co-op line.The biggest problem was always getting the generator started. I finally got bored with that, and traded up for a larger one that ran off the tractor PTO. The tractor generally works on a farm , and we had a pump tank full of fuel.

The geese would stay in the water until it froze solid. Then I spread straw on the banks for them , as their feet would freeze otherwise. All the yard birds would huddle up in an open part of the barn , with food and water put out for them. The Belted Galloways wondered what all the fuss was about, and kept on eating, as did the horses and sheep. The Nubians hated it , just stuffed their faces , and kept on milking , but their kids had a ball sliding on the ice. The ones who had the most fun were the otters who would tobaggon down their slide into the creek by the hour.

Moved back to S.C., and here came HUGO !! A different experience all together. NO power. ( That means NO gasoline folks ) in the whole county for 3 weeks , and it was brutally hot. I had just bought my carriage house ruin, and this got me thinking. All natural gas appliances , plus a whole house generator, as I planned on putting in a koi pond. (now 4..... Water has to stay aerated for koi ). I found out that the city water was deadly to fish due to Chloramine , so in went the well , so I have 2 water sources.

I still keep a full pantry , that is well stocked .Still have my wonderful old Dietz Beacon 60 lanterns filled too. I keep at least 2-3 week feed supply for all my critters, at all times. The Orps would survive well on ranging in the warmer months. They wouldn't be thrilled , but they would cope due to all the different greens I plant for them .We might have to go picnicing at some neighbors' yards in the winter though, if I couldn't get to the feed store for 3 weeks. All and all , I think we're pretty well fixed.

 

[Beekissed]

well, you know what they say, Bee, that a feminist is any woman who isn't a doormat.

I don't know. I read this a few hours ago, and have had it on my mind since. It really bothers me. Maybe zombies bother you, but this....if you wrote it as "Your good christian women? They will soon be shoved down on the ground, their heads in a sharp beak, and their backs getting a good stomping...."

See what I mean?

Always hard when posts start getting into religion, politics, etc....but that sideways remark really bothered me. Goddess knows, I should be able to let it roll off my back

Everyone pretty much gets out of a post what they want to see. What roosters do to hens has nothing to do with me being a Christian or not...the fact remains that hens that formerly challenge a rooster when they are young, soon mature sexually, get mated ~just as I described~ and will no longer challenge the rooster in any way.

This is not a statement that is a "statement" about feminism or any such claptrap...I could care less who calls themselves what out there or how it offends their sensibilities...the word "feminists" was used in the original post on the subject matter and was repeated by me for the same reference topic.

That statement had nothing to do with religion, politics or what women call themselves today...it was about rooster and hen behavior and was made in that context only and using the words in answer to the original post. If you are expecting me to be politically correct on here, that just won't happen. What is politically correct is not, IMO, always correct.

I'm not going to walk on eggshells around here to avoid bumping into anyone's personal chip on their shoulder. The information is freely given, you can take it or leave it. It's about chickens, not about your personal life or feelings.

I've noticed this a little in recent days...folks coming here with a sore head and wanting to make some disturbance on the thread where there really shouldn't be one. If this is going to be the trend of this thread, I will ask the mods to shut it down. I have no caring for fighting on here...this is a learning thread that has been pretty fun up until now, but when the fun ends, I'm gone.

Strike two.